Pharmacist/ Storekeeper (SDS)

Several medical conditions are risk factors for TB and poor TB treatment outcomes. Similarly, TB can complicate the course of some diseases. Therefore, it is important to identify these comorbidities in people diagnosed with TB to ensure early diagnosis and improved outcomes. When these conditions are highly prevalent in the general population, they can significantly contribute to the TB burden. Consequently, reducing the prevalence of these conditions can help prevent TB.

Missed Dose recording in Nikshay:

For recording missed doses in Nikshay, following steps should be followed:

Manual recording of Adherence in Nikshay:

in Nikshay, Adherence can only be recorded only if there is corresponding dispensation being issued to a Patient 

Figure: Steps to record manual dose in Nikshay

Recording in Patient Treatment Card:

Figure: Filled Treatment card for TB Patient

99DOTS is a low-cost digital adherence technology built-in Nikshay that uses inexpensive packaging(envelopes or stickers) with medication that enables people taking medication to engage with their treatment daily. This packaging, distributed to TB patients taking medications, has a hidden number behind perforated flaps on the external envelope; in some cases, the number may be fixed outside the medication blister or pill bottle. This number can be a toll-free number that can be called to register daily adherence or a code sent by SMS, USSD, or other communication channels.

Recording of Treatment Adherence can be done as

• Manually by DOT/Health Care Provider in TB Treatment Card of a patient.
• Self-reported by Patient using digital tools for reporting adherence using 99 DOTS and MERM technologies.

Monitoring Treatment Adherence:

All TB patients should be monitored to assess their response to TB treatment. Nikshay Adherence calendar has a colour legend for various doses taken by a patient

Adherence to tuberculosis(TB) treatment is important for promoting individual and public health. Poor adherence to TB treatment results in:

• More individual suffering and death,
• Costly treatment as treatment regimens lengthen and
• Increases the risk for Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

Proper treatment of all forms of TB is critical to reducing individual morbidity and mortality and to interrupting transmission among family and community members.

Tuberculosis(TB) is curable if patients are treated with effective, uninterrupted anti-tuberculous treatment. Treatment adherence is critical for curing individual patients, controlling the spread of infection in the community, and minimizing the development of drug resistance.

Adherence to treatment means that a patient follows the recommended course of treatment by taking all the prescribed medications for the entire length of time, as necessary. In other words, “right dose for the right duration”.

For TB infection, there are two recommended tests which can be used to identify such patients.

Tuberculin Skin Test (TST)

The skin test is done by injecting a small amount (0.5 ml) of TB antigens into the top layer of skin on your inner forearm. If one has ever been exposed to TB bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), there will be a reaction indicated by the development of a firm red bump (induration) >= 10 mm at the site within 2 days.

After getting diagnosed with Drug-Resistant TB(DR-TB), the patient is referred to District DRTB Centre(DDR-TBC) for initiation of treatment. Few clinically complicated cases are referred to the Nodal DRTB Centre(NDR TBC).

Depending upon type of drug resistance, there are four broad DRTB Treatment regimen.

1. H Mono/Poly Treatment Regimen(6-9 months)
2. Shorter oral Bedaquiline containing MDR/RR-TB regimen(9-11 months)
3. Shorter injectable containing regimen(9-11 months)
4. Longer oral M/XDR-TB regimen(18-20 months)

Drugs administered for DRTB Regimen: